Venezuelans Again Shut Down Capital to Protest Government

Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, speaks to people attending a national sit-in against President Nicolás Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 15, 2017, Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, speaks to people attending a national sit-in against President Nicolás Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 15, 2017, photo: AP/Fernando Llano

CARACAS, Venezuela – Protesters are hauling folding chairs, beach umbrellas and coolers onto main roads for a national sit-in.

The “sit-in against the dictatorship” is the latest in a month and a half of street demonstrations against President Nicolás Maduro. Many Caracas businesses were closed Monday and taxi drivers suspended work in anticipation of a city-wide traffic shutdown.

People gather on a highway for a national sit-in against President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 15, 2017. Photo: AP/Fernando Llano

Opposition leaders are demanding immediate presidential elections. Polls show the great majority of Venezuelans want Maduro gone as violent crime soars and the country falls into economic ruin.

The European Union is also calling for Venezuela elections. EU foreign ministers said Monday that “violence and the use of force will not resolve the crisis in the country.”